NBA Playoffs Eastern conference posted by john howard

It's the All-Star break and time to asses where the season is at.  There are roughly 30 games left and the trading deadline is looming.  Here is a look at the playoffs if they were today.

1 Cleveland vs.  8 Chicago

2 Orlando vs   7 Miami

3 Atlanta vs 6 Charlotte

4 Boston vs 5 Toronto

Chicago looks like they have regressed overall from last year. But lately, they have started getting into the groove. Derrick Rose is unreal and they might win a game but they won't beat Cleveland.

Miami has one of the top 3 players in the game in Dwayne Wade.  This team could look different by playoff time. No matter how the team looks, it would take an incredible performance for even Wade to beat out Orlando.

Charlotte is a great story of over achieving.  They might be able to push Atlanta to a game 6, but that would be the best they could do.

The quietest success has been Toronto.  They are the 5th seed and no one is talking about them.  They have a shot to beat the Celtics if Boston is plagued with injuries.  But this has been a good year so far for the Raptors.

Boston has fallen from favorite to the 4th seed.  They still have the experience and firepower to go all the way. But, to do that everyone is going to have to get healthy and be at peak level which hasn't happened this year. Time is running out on the Celtics.

3 Atlanta has the best team in years.  They could be the underdog favorite after the first round.  A matchup with Orlando in round 2 is going to be fun.  Should they get past the Magic, they will be convinced they can beat anybody. 

Hawks soaring high on new NBA season posted by nbahawks

The Atlanta Hawks is creating a lot of buzz in the new season of the National Basketball Association.Despite their less stellar lineup, the Hawks is on top of the leader-board in the young season of the premier professional basketball league in the planet. The Hawks is currently sporting an impressive 11-2 record after they defeated the Houston Rockets 105-103 Friday night.High flying Hawks power forward Josh Smith played hero for the top team in the NBA by scoring on a put back from a miss by Hawks top point guard Mike Bibby with 0.7 seconds remaining. Marvin Williams, the starting small forward of the Hawks top scored for the team with 29 points to help defeat the Rockets, one of the top teams in the NBA Western Conference.The recent victory of the Hawks is remarkable since the Rockets are on the verge of defeating the team and hand them their third loss but the impressive play of Smith saved the youth laden ball club to escaped with a victory. Prior to his game winning shot, Smith stayed mostly from the bench due to foul trouble but he was able to returned in the waning moments of the game and lead his team to victory.The strong and impressive plays of the Hawks is getting huge praise from basketball fans and experts. During the off-season, the Hawks is not among the top contenders for the NBA crown this season due to their less star studded roster. However, despite the lack of big named players in its lineup, the Hawks still showed class and impressive talent to defeat 11 teams so far.Aside from the strong plays of its veteran players Smith, Bibby and Joe Johnson, the Hawks also get huge contribution from newly acquired NBA veteran Jamal Crawford who contribute in both offence and defence for the team. Aside from the Hawks, the run and gun Phoenix Suns is also playing good this NBA season. NBA superstars point-guard Steve Nash and power forward Amare Stoudamire are playing well to lead the Suns to an impressive record in the NBA.Fans of Hawks team can buy the tickets to watch the NBA game live.

New Era of NBA Bigs? posted by Scott Shepherd

Have you looked at the league leaders yet this season?

There are some familiar faces atop some of the big categories. Kobe leads the league in scoring. Nash leads the league in assists. Rondo leads the league in steals.

You almost expect to see those guys near the top of those categories.

But have you taken a look at the league leaders in rebounds? It’s not exactly a who’s who of NBA big men over the past few years.

Here’s the top ten:

1. Gerald Wallace 13.8

2. Marc Gasol 11.9

T3. Chris Bosh 11.6

T3. Carlos Boozer 11.6

5. Dwight Howard 11.1

6. Joakim Noah 11.0

T7. Brendan Haywood 10.7

T7. Al Horford 10.7

T7. Zach Randolph 10.7

10. Emeka Okafor 10.5

I know it’s still very early in the season, and inevitably some of these names will fall out of the top ten. But as of right now, only three of the top ten rebounders have ever played in an all-star game (Bosh, Boozer, Howard).

Last year, six of the top ten rebounders have been all-stars. The year before that the number was five. Before that, it was eight.

What does it all mean? Probably nothing. Like I said, it’s still early.

But, it could mean that there has been a shift in the way teams are putting together their rosters.

Earlier in the decade, there seemed to be a real focus on finding big guys who could not only rebound, but contribute offensively as well. The logic behind that makes sense; you want a player that can do everything in your lineup.

Jamal Crawford to Hawks posted by john howard

The Hawks appear to be sending both backup point guards to Golden State for Jamal Crawford.  This brings makes signing Mike Bibby more imperative.  To do so, they may not match offers that Marvin Williams receives.  Acie Law and Speedy Claxton both are being shipped.  Neither really played much last year.  Joe Johnson lead the team in assist even though he isn't a point guard.  I doubt they will use him as one.  Andre Miller and Jason Kidd are both available on the market.  My bet is on Bibby returning. Crawford could play the point, but he would be better off as the 2 guard.  He did average 4.4 assist along wth 19.7 points.  

For Golden State, this move is to cut salary.  They aren't getting anything in return.  Maybe a potential back up in Law but, not likely. Monte Eillis can play the point with CJ Watson backing him up.  Crawford played 55 games last year, so they are use to playing without him.  They free up cap room is all they did.

 Atlanta just got better.

Atlanta Hawks draft posted by john howard

The Atlanta Hawks had another good year. They keep taking steps closer to the Eastern finals.  To do so this year, they will have to deal with a lot of free agents.  Mike Bibby is the only starter that is a free agent and a very big key to this team.  Ronald Murray and Zach Pachulia were two key players off the bench that are also free agents.  Marvin Williams is a restricted free agent and will probably get a pretty good offer that Atlanta can match.  To keep things moving in the right direction, the Hawks have got to resign Bibby and not let Williams go either.  I don't think they will be able to keep all 4 players.  That's where we look at the draft.  Atlanta has the 19th and 49th picks.  The 19th pick could suit Atlanta well in the fact that in the past 14 years 9 bench players and 1 starter has come from that spot.  So, they should get someone off the bench.  The 49th pick has produced 3 bench players.  So, there is a shot there.  Today is a big day for many teams.  Atlanta's big day is still to come.Continue reading "Atlanta Hawks draft"

Atlanta Hawks summer posted by john howard

The Hawks continue to improve and will continue to improve providing the resign Mike Bibby.  The most important move they can make this summer is to retain the 31 year old point guard.  Last year he made 14million and they will have to be close to that to keep him.  If someone manages to lure him away, there is no viable option on the team. They have the 19th pick in the draft.  However, that won't yield them a player that is ready to step in.  There are three other options:

Jason Kidd would be a one or two year stop.  He would make the team better, but not enough to sacrifice the chemistry that is there with Bibby.

Andre Miller would be perhaps the best fit should Bibby leave.  If Bibby goes to Philly, expect Miller to arrive in Atlanta.

The most inriuging idea is Allen Iverson.  This guy might still have enough in the tank to take them another level higher.  It would be fun to watch.  Yet, the best bet might be to keep Bibby and find what everyone is looking for---an other inside scorer.

Manny being Manny: The Latest twist in the Steroid Saga posted by Chris Strickland

Steroids has officially gone postal.

The list of all-star players who have been revealed to be using steroids: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez, now.......MANNY RAMIREZ.

It makes sense when you think about it. The baggy uniform. The dreads to cover up his huge head (they all have huge heads). How he erupted last year when he was with the Red Sox and practically mauled a team assistant. How he always used to spend time in the Green Monster and no one would question what he was doing. This brings us to my theory.

My theory of why Manny started juicing is because upon signing with the Sox, at his press conference, he swore to the front office, the media, and the Fenway Faithful that he was going to BEAT THE YANKEES. I'm sure he woke up the next morning, in an empty Boston apartment full of scattered Tecates, and uttered..."What happened last night?" It's like when you're drunk and you get carried away, you end up doing something you regret. Either you make a bad dance move, throw the ping pong ball into some girl's boobs at beer pong, or in Manny's case, make a promise to beat the most bad-ass dynasty in baseball at the time. Oops.

So the next morning, Manny calls up his friend. Say his friend's name is, um..."Big Papi." Let's call him that for now. "Big Papi" offers Manny something that can help him beat the Yankees.

Manny: "What you got, ese?"

Papi: "Don't call me ese."

Manny: "Sorry. I'm just being myself."

Are the Atlanta Hawks allergic to playing Defense? posted by SportsJunkie

For the second game in a row the Hawks just stood on the floor and watched Lebron James fly through the air and do whatever wants every single quarter of the game.    Why did they even beat the Miami Heat if they were going to be so uncompetitive in Round 2?   The Hawks are playing right now to be on Radio Only for the next games because I'm sure hawks fans don't want to see two more blowouts.    Come on Atlanta try and look interested in advancing to the 3rd round and not just stand around looking confused when Lebron James has the ball.   Atleast try and get physical with Lebron and allow TV viewers to watch a good game since they pay a monthly cable bill.   Give me something for my money in Game 3 and not just put on a uniform to play the role of a statue for three hours.Continue reading "Are the Atlanta Hawks allergic to playing Defense?"

Playoff Excitement Part 2: Beasts of the East posted by Michael J. Shambaugh

In continuation of my post on 04.30.2009 it’s time to take a look at the East and everything it has brought us so far.  And to think, it’s only the first round!

Detroit Pistons versus Cleveland Cavaliers.  There’s quite a few of us who are still scratching our heads and trying to figure out where the positive for Detroit was in the Billups/Iverson trade.  Winning their games by an average of 15.5 points, Cleveland sent the Pistons home for the season with just one question: “How quick can we get Allen Iverson out of a Pistons jersey?”  A quick side note: Cleveland is averaging a higher winning margin on the road than they are at home this post-season.  That’s not good news for Miami or Atlanta.

Boston Celtics versus Chicago Bulls.  I can be the first one to admit that I did not think this was going to be one of the greatest first round matchups of all time.  You’ve got the defending champion Boston Celtics, with a record of 62 and 20, going up against the 41 and 41 young, high paced, Chicago Bulls.  We all saw this last year, with Atlanta and Boston going at it in seven games, but that was nothing like this series.  There have been six full games played as of this writing.  In those six games alone we’ve had 7 overtime periods, 5 games decided by 3 points or less, Chicago win in Boston, Boston win in Chicago, and 29 potential game tying/winning shot attempts in the final 24 seconds of regulation/overtime.  A good series?  Let’s just say, I’ll be watching Game 7.

Lakers' Fans Should be Worried. Period. posted by Hank Hill

Okay, Lakers' fans and bloggers (particularly C Strickland), the Lakers and Kobe should be worried because even if you do make the Finals, which the entire city of Boston thinks is a big if, (Denver/Houston/Portland would all give you a run), Cleveland is not your only issue.

The Celtics are doing exactly what they did last year and as you say, even you saw the utter demolition of LA last year. It could happen again and by another team; that's why sports rule...because you never know. And I'm not saying the Cs are on top of their game yet, but this is all what happened last year and history does have a way of repeating itself. Last year everyone said we would sweep the Atlanta Hawks; they took us 7. Then they said the Cs would sweep Cleveland, took us 7. And when everyone said it would go 7 against Detroit and LA, it was only 6 for the Pistons and LA!!! So even with no KG (who everyone thinks we don't have a chance to see play -- but as we have seen, "everyone" isn't always right), it's pretty clear, in my mind at least, that Cleveland's not the only team to worry about. LA, you have a lot to worry about!!!

Back to Celtics' Nation, game 5, in a now best of 3 series begins tonight at the Garden at 7:00 on TNT. The Cs need this one. I believe this is the biggest game of this series and Vegas gave the Cs a 7.5 point spread which are a lot of points in what should be a tough fought battle of Warriors!!! And it's always good when you have Vegas on you side -- they were right about Sunday's game.  So hopefully the C's come out with that fire and determination like they did in game 3 which in that case then, I believe they can take anyone. So throw your green on or Celts' jersey and let's kick some butt....

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